Theatre News

Exclusive: Tony winning Grand Hotel checks in to London

The musical reunites Danielle Tarento with director Thom Southerland

Director Thom Southerland and producer Danielle Tarento
Director Thom Southerland and producer Danielle Tarento

Producer Danielle Tarento (Titanic, Dogfight, Parade) has announced a revival of the Tony Award-winning musical Grand Hotel, at Southwark Playhouse from 31 July-5 September.

Directed by Thom Southerland, the production reunites the team behind the WhatsOnStage Award-winning production of Titanic, which has today set sail for its Canadian transfer in Toronto.

Based on the 1929 Vicki Baum novel and play, Menschen im Hotel (People in a Hotel), the musical focuses on events taking place over the course of a weekend in an elegant hotel in Berlin during the roaring 20s and the intersecting stories of the eccentric guests of the hotel, including a fading prima ballerina; a fatally ill Jewish bookkeeper, who wants to spend his final days living in luxury; a young, handsome, but destitute Baron; a cynical doctor; an honest businessman gone bad, and a typist dreaming of Hollywood success.

Grand Hotel, which has a book by Luther Davis and music and lyrics by George Forrest and Robert Wright, premiered on Broadway in 1989, ran for over 1,000 performances and was nominated for 12 Tony Awards, winning five.

It had its West End premiere in 1992 at the Dominion and, in 2004, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio starred as Elizaveta in a production directed by Michael Grandage at the Donmar Warehouse.

Casting for the Southwark Playhouse production is still to be announced.